The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of fermentation temperature on quality characteristics of apple wine. Apple wine mashes were fermented in 15, 20, and water bathes for 9 days. The pH levels of all samples were below 4 from 24 h of fermentation until the end. Total acidities of 0.05% acetic acid solution were 7.8, 7.4, and 7.0% in the 15, 20, and fermented samples, respectively. The evaporation of esters generated by combining alcohol and organic acids might be the reason for lower total acidity for high temperature fermentation. Alcohol contents of the 20 and fermented samples were 6.5 and 6.6% (v/v), respectively, whereas that of the fermented sample was 5.6% (v/v) and significantly lower than the others (P<0.05). Methanol contents were 0.68, 0.82, and 1.69 mg/L in the 15, 20, and fermented samples, respectively. Fermentation at higher temperatures generated higher methanol content in apple wine. On the other hand, acetaldehyde contents were 3.43, 2.39, and 1.02 mg/L in the 15, 20, and fermented samples, respectively, due to the lower boiling point of acetaldehyde (). Based on the results, a fermentation temperature of is effective for apple wine fermentation.